“Is this nothing?
Why, then the world and all that’s in ’t is nothing,
The covering sky is nothing, Bohemia nothing,
My wife is nothing, nor nothing have these nothings,
If this be nothing.”
Words: David Sear Images: Paul Ashley
We love a challenge.
So how about a tragedy, a comedy, and a part-musical set in two different countries? Oh, and it’s Shakespeare. And someone gets eaten by a bear. Irresistible really. Ok. What really happened was that co-director Lesley Ford and I were sitting around drinking (coffee!) and moaning that the same old shows get performed at Christmas. We then moved on to why people always had to do Shakespeare in pumpkin-pants, and the rest… well, isn’t history, but soon will be.
The Winter’s Tale has haunted us both for a very long time.
Me, because I was forced to do it at A-level and then fell in love (with the play). Lesley because she saw a ‘bat-sh*t crazy’ wonderful production of it and adored its amazing ambition as a theatrical piece. It is really two plays, one the darkest tragedy you’re probably ever going to see (really), and one the most delightful pastoral romp. You do need to be prepared for the first half, because it is winter in Sicilia and a man is about to go crazy with jealousy: so crazy that he puts his children, his family and his realm at risk; so mad that he will defy the Gods rather than admit he is wrong. The second half takes us to spring, and sheep-shearing in Bohemia (see, we told you!). It is joyous. More fun that anyone should be allowed to have on stage. The final act returns us to Sicilia for one of the most jaw-dropping conclusions to a play ever written.
You probably haven’t seen this play.
We don’t know why it rarely gets performed but it may be something to do with the above. So… two directors have turned a play that is two plays into a play that is a Christmas play, and Shakespeare, and not all those other things you see every Christmas. We love a challenge.
> The Winter’s Tale | ADC Theatre | 17-21 December 2024
️ ️ Tickets: adctheatre.com/whats-on/play/the-winters-tale
